Share
Yes, it’s that time of year: planning for the year ahead. To give you a head start, we’ve collected a selection of essential dates for your 2024 diary.
This list covers key shopping holidays and key cultural events (great for business-boosting marketing campaigns for your business), plus the best e-commerce expos and e-commerce conferences to help you sharpen your entrepreneurial skills.
Let’s take a look at the important dates for your e-commerce marketing calendar throughout 2024.
As New Year's Day (Jan 1st) is traditionally a time when we all set goals or resolutions for the upcoming year, it is a great opportunity to help your customers achieve their goals. This isn’t just about health and fitness, it could be work goals, home renovation, travel, and much more. In many regions, consumers expect discounts or promotional deals—be sure to give them what they want.
The first big trade event of 2024 comes up early in the year: The National Retail Federation’s annual conference and expo brings together retailers, vendors, and expert guest speakers. The 2024 incarnation of NRF(1) will feature 1,000 exhibitors and 40,000 attendees, plus speakers from Walmart and Under Armor among others.
Join an expert team on January 24th in Lincoln, UK, to gain insights into the latest trends for eCommerce brands across DTC and B2B sectors. This event(2) features workshops, retailer panels, and breakout rooms designed to offer a full day of education exclusively for merchants.
Saturday, February 10th 2024 marks the Year of the Dragon. Chinese New Year is a traditional 15-day holiday period celebrated in many countries including China, Taiwan, Singapore, and others. Retailers offer discounts and special offers across the period. Food, clothes, shoes, and many other gifts are very popular, especially early in the holiday period.
This summit is a local gathering of Phoenix’s top e-commerce experts and decision-makers(3), including retailers, brands, merchants, and solutions providers.
The most romantic day of the year (for some). In early February, many will head online to search for the perfect gift for their other half. What personal touches can your business offer to make their gift extra special? Gift wrapping and the option to add a note with their purchase are just a couple of ideas.
This annual London-based event is designed to help you stay on top of the latest industry trends and innovations. This annual event(4) is a great way to connect with fellow professionals and better understand how to boost customer loyalty and increase profits. And it’s held in the Shard, so you can look forward to some great views too!
STATION Berlin is Germany’s biggest e-commerce event(5), with 10,000 attendees expected. The event offers an extensive conference program with over 70 industry experts and thought leaders sharing insights on multiple stages and master class sessions.
The Ecommerce Packaging and Labelling Expo(6) is two days of educational content, product discovery, innovation awards and keynote speakers at London’s ExCel.
Join thousands of global e-commerce sellers, suppliers, and buyers under one roof(7), gaining inspiration to elevate your business.
International Women's Day (IWD) 2024 focuses on women's rights, including gender equality, reproductive rights, and ending violence and abuse against women. IWD 2024’s(8) theme is to #InspireInclusion with the aim of celebrating women's achievements, raising awareness of discrimination, and taking action to drive gender parity. Show your company’s support for IWD any way you can, from promotional campaigns to pledging to end gender pay disparity in your business.
Mother's Day is an important retail holiday, a time when consumers look for the perfect gifts to spoil their mothers. It’s worth noting that many European countries and America celebrate Mother's Day in May, not March, so check your dates first.
A sister event to the Manchester event taking place in April. The London eCommerce Summit(9) is a boutique style of live event. It is a one-day gathering of local eCommerce experts and decision-makers across retailers, brands, merchants, and solutions providers.
Every year on March 17th, people around the world celebrate St. Patrick's Day, an important holiday that honors the patron saint of Ireland. The festivities usually involve parades, festivals, parties, and plenty of green decorations. For e-commerce brands, any party or parade products will be in demand, so make sure you stock plenty of green-themed party products!
See speakers from big brands like L’Oreal, Burger King and Adidas talk about e-commerce, omnichannel retail, social commerce, and AI at the eTail Berlin(10).
The International Day of Happiness was created by the UN and even has its own website(11). If your brand or business provides wellness or health-related products or services, you might want to run a campaign tying into International Day of Happiness. Regardless of your sector, it could be a good time to run a discount campaign—after all, discounts make people happy!
This major event(12) promises to help entrepreneurs and digital experience pros expand their skill sets, build connections, and create better customer experiences. The many sessions and speakers (from multinational brands like Nike, Walmart, and GM) will explore topics like personalized omnichannel engagements and analytics for customer journeys.
Web traffic and revenue numbers show that Easter is a prime retail period. In 2024, Good Friday is on 29th March and Easter Sunday falls on March 31st. Online spending rises in the lead-up to the Easter holiday as many look for gifts to send to loved ones. It will be a particularly busy period for those selling chocolate goodies!
As the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close, the festival of Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the month-long period of fasting and prayer. During this festive event, Muslim families and friends come together to exchange gifts, share meals, and express gratitude for the blessings in their lives. For e-commerce companies, demand for gifts is likely to be higher before and during this period.
Attendees will learn from over 40 expert speakers(13) about the latest tech innovations including artificial intelligence and automation—enabling the delivery of first-class experiences to customers.
The Manchester eCommerce Summit(14) is a one-day, in-person event that brings together local eCommerce experts, decision-makers, retailers, brands, merchants, and solution providers for networking and education in Manchester.
Earth Day is a chance for your business to showcase its commitment to environmental consciousness and sustainability. Earth Day 2024(15) focuses on reducing plastic use across the world. Are you doing your bit to use less plastic in your business? If so, today is the day to shout about it.
Join eComm Live 2024(16), Ireland's top eCommerce event, featuring 50+ speakers from leading brands such as Ryanair and TikTok. Also features training courses and networking sessions.
Mother's Day again, but this time in the US. It’s a significant retail holiday where consumers search for ideal gifts to show appreciation to their mothers. Common gifts include chocolate, flowers, clothing, and various gift items.
Described as Asia’s premier e-commerce and digital marketing retail summit(17), attendees will be able to collaborate with the industry’s biggest decision-makers on topics like navigating inflation and delivering truly personalized customer experiences. Find out more.
More like an intense 3-day e-commerce workshop, this event(18) claims to be “the ultimate learning conference for e-commerce brands.” It promises to teach budding online entrepreneurs the latest growth strategies for business success.
Show your inclusivity and support by incorporating Pride-themed promotions and products into your e-commerce strategy.
If your brand is environmentally conscious, the World Environment Day(19) is a fitting time to promote eco-friendly products.
Father's Day, a global celebration of fathers and father figures, offers e-commerce opportunities like curated gift ideas, special promotions, personalization, digital gift cards, content marketing, email campaigns, mobile shopping, efficient shipping, cross-selling, and social media engagement. Bear in mind that some of your customers may not want to be reminded of Father’s Day—it can be a sensitive time for many.
Exact dates are still to be confirmed, but Amazon Prime Day in 2023 was July 11th and 12th. The two-day sales bonanza attracts bargain hunters from across the world, making it an opportunity for sellers on the platform to shift stock ahead of a refresh for the Christmas season.
This month-long event acknowledges and celebrates black-owned businesses across the US as they continue to strive for diversity and equality. Show your support however you can.
Held alongside the Technology for Marketing event, eCommerce Expo(20) will feature over 10,000 retailers and 300 industry-leading solution providers. Guest speakers will cover topics including marketing, omnichannel retail, and customer experience. eCommerce Expo is free to attend for retailers and brands. Plan your visit at eCommerce Expo(21)
The leaves are turning orange and pumpkin spice lattes are on order. It's time to plan for the end-of-year peak sales period with Black Friday and Christmas rapidly approaching.
Singles' Day has become one of the world’s biggest shopping days that should be on every e-commerce calendar. Originally a celebration of single status among Chinese university students, has evolved into a massive global shopping event by Alibaba in 2009. It is reported that in 2021, that there were over 900 million shoppers in this period—roughly 11% of the world's population.
With 25,000 attendees and over 350 speakers, Seamless(22) is the largest event in Saudi Arabia covering fintech, retail, e-commerce, delivery, digital marketing innovations.
Today is the day to proudly wave your small business flag! American Express initiated the Small Business Saturday holiday back in 2010, with the aim of encouraging consumers to support local businesses.
Europe's largest customer engagement event(23) is just around the corner. The event's theme revolves around the importance of human-centricity in creating a sense of belonging for customers. Renowned experts will be sharing insights and discussing the latest trends and advancements in the field of customer experience.
The previously US-focused sales day has evolved into a global phenomenon. Customers across the world will be heading online ready to spend, spend, spend, so be prepared. And don’t forget Cyber Monday on the 2nd of December—a great chance to sell some final stock.
UK small businesses also have their own day to shine: Small Business Saturday. Held on the last Saturday of November, this grassroots campaign encourages consumers to shop local and support small businesses.
Seen as a counterpart to Black Friday, Cyber Monday is an annual online shopping event that takes place on the Monday following Thanksgiving in the United States. It is primarily focused on online sales and provides substantial discounts and deals from retailers and e-commerce websites.
Open an account with DHL Express today. As international experts, we can help you sell to the world.
Open an account1 - NRF 2024
2 - eComOne Live
3 - Phoenix eCommerce Summit
4 - Savant eCommerce London 2024
6 - Ecommerce Packaging & Labelling Expo
7 - White Label Expo
10 - eTail Germany
11 - Day of Happiness
12 - Adobe Summit: The Digital Experience Conference
13 - Global Digital Transformation & Customer Experience Summit
14 - Manchester eCommerce Summit
15 - Earth Day
16 - eComm Live 2024
17 - eTail Asia
18 - Sellers Summit 2024
20 - eCommerce Expo at the ExCeL
21 - Plan your visit at eCommerce Expo
Share
